Erdogan calls for Turkic world solidarity, cybersecurity cooperation at OTS summit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday called for greater coordination among Turkic states, citing regional conflicts and digital threats, as he addressed the Informal Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Turkistan, Kazakhstan.

“Crises in Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Ukraine, and many others indicate that we need to strengthen our defense and increase our cooperation in the industrial sector,” Erdogan told counterparts from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. He said Turkey is ready to share its experience in the defense industry with OTS members.

Erdogan stressed that cybersecurity is now as vital as security in land, air, and maritime domains. “We must be vigilant against the new risk areas brought about by artificial intelligence technologies,” he said, citing threats targeting databases and critical national infrastructure. Turkey aims to further advance coordination and cooperation in cybersecurity within the OTS during its upcoming term as chair, Erdogan said.

He warned that falling behind in technological transformation could weaken national independence. “To prevent artificial intelligence from becoming a tool of domination, we must approach this theme with the right perspective, viewing it as an opportunity,” Erdogan said. He added that AI-based initiatives, including a Turkish language model designed to make the richness of the shared language visible in the digital sphere, should be supported.

Erdogan said transportation projects, especially the Middle Corridor linking East and West, will remain strategic priorities for OTS. “As the crisis centered on the Strait of Hormuz shows today, transportation projects connecting the Turkic world, especially the Middle Corridor, will continue to be our priority for many years to come,” he said.

On cultural integration, Erdogan said the common Turkic alphabet should be widely used across education, culture, academic collaboration, and digital transformation. The Common Turkic Alphabet is a Latin-based system of 34 letters agreed upon by linguists under the OTS in 2024. Erdogan also welcomed UNESCO’s designation of Dec. 15 as “World Turkic Language Family Day,” describing it as “a shared success for all of us.”

Erdogan expressed hope that the Turkic world will strengthen political, economic, and cultural relations with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

The OTS was established in 2009 under the Nakhchivan Agreement as the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States and adopted its current name in 2021. Headquartered in Istanbul, the OTS has four observers: Hungary, Turkmenistan, the TRNC, and the Economic Cooperation Organization.